You see, it’s not just Asheville or Kansas City that needs serious broadband we all do. In Google’s announcement, it states that Google has “signed a development agreement with the city, and we’ll be working closely with local organizations, businesses and universities to bring a next-generation web experience to the community.”

Google’s “goal was to find a location where we could build efficiently, make an impact on the community and develop relationships with local government and community organizations. We’ve found this in Kansas City. We’ll be working closely with local organisations including the Kauffman Foundation, KCNext and the University of Kansas Medical Center to help develop the gigabit applications of the future.”

Finally, “Pending approval from the city’s Board of Commissioners, we plan to offer service beginning in 2012. We’ll also be looking closely at ways to bring ultra high-speed Internet to other cities across the country.”

Sounds grand doesn’t it? I especially like that line about bringing ultra high-speed Internet to other cities. It’s just too bad that if the NC state government, and other state governments, have their way, neither Google, not anyone else, will be able to partner up with cities and towns to bring in high-speed Internet.

For all too many places, the only way we’ll ever see affordable broadband is by PPPs. If the cable industry gets its way, we won’t even have the option of a Google coming in and joining up with our local government to provide true high-speed Internet. So, once more, congratulations to Kansas City, I just wonder how many of the rest of us, if any, will ever get to see affordable broadband from similar partnerships.